Michael Strahan had a legendary career with the New York Giants, and one of his finest moments came in Week 8 of the 1999 NFL season.
The Giants played the Philadelphia Eagles at Veterans Stadium that week. The Eagles led 17-3 at the end of the third quarter, but the Giants scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tie it up at 17 and send the game into overtime.
That’s when Strahan provided the game-winning play. On a 3rd-and-8 in overtime, Eagles quarterback Doug Pederson (yes, the same Doug Pederson who won a Super Bowl in Philly as a coach) dropped back to pass and had his attempt batted into the air. Strahan snatched the ball out of the air and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown.
Strahan recently posted a video on his TikTok and Twitter accounts reacting to the moment.
“I called GAME!!” Strahan wrote on Twitter. “I haven’t watched this play in years!”
If you’ve never seen this play or want to experience it without Strahan’s reaction, here’s a link to the original clip on YouTube.
The Giants won this game 23-17 and moved to 5-3 at the time, but the balls didn’t bounce their way in the second half of the 1999 season. They went 2-6 the rest of the way and finished with a 7-9 record, good for third place in the NFC East that year. The following year, they improved to 12-4 and made it all the way to Super Bowl XXXV.
Strahan was the sack king in New York, but this play against the Eagles was one of only four career interceptions for him. It was one of Strahan’s three career touchdowns (two interception returns, one fumble return), and it was his second longest return of any kind. His longest was a 56-yard interception return against Washington in 1995.
(Skip to the 3:00 mark of the video below to see Strahan’s interception return)
Strahan got robbed of the pick-six on that play, as he was brought down inside the five-yard line.
A few years later, the notorious sack master got revenge on his division rival with this 24-yard pick-six in the 1998 NFL season opener.
Strahan was a dynamic playmaker during his 15 seasons with the Giants (1993-2007). On top of these athletic interceptions, he still holds the franchise record for career sacks with 141.5.
What Other Plays Deserve a Strahan Reaction Video?
Strahan ends his tweet by posing a question to his followers: “What play do you want me to react to next?”
Strahan’s other interception returns are a good starting point. His record-breaking sack of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre in 2001 is an obvious choice, too. How about sacking Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLII?
Strahan had a lot of great moments with the Giants. Another option would be his sack-fumble on Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, after manhandling right tackle Jon Runyan during the 2000 NFL playoffs.
Strahan Needs to Step His Reaction Game up
If this reaction video is in response to the Twitter breakdowns Eli Manning has been providing lately, then Strahan needs to step his game up. Manning is providing legitimate insight on the play, while Strahan is just making facial expressions.
Put that television voice to good use, Michael!
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Michael Strahan Reacts to His 1999 Pick-Six vs. Eagles in Overtime: WATCH